Results 181-200 of 16,746 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Budget 2026 (15 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF) has provided approximately €110 million since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres. I was pleased to announce a €3m increase for CCIF as part of budget 2026, which brings the allocation for next year to €20m. I am committed to delivering further...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Reviews (15 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas who have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period. The Programme for Government makes a commitment to carry out a comprehensive review of the eligibility criteria of CLÁR within 6 months. The statistical review...

Cost of Disability: Motion [Private Members] (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as ucht an seans cúrsaí míchumais a phlé anocht. I am not opposing the motion put forward by Sinn Féin this evening, but we will take the opportunity to discuss these important issues and lay out much of the work we are doing. We recognise, and it is not exclusive to the Opposition, the additional cost that disabled people...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Artists' Remuneration (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Research Scheme 2022 – 2026 is a research programme which has examined, over a three-year period, the impact of a basic income-style payment for artists and creative arts workers. The pilot scheme will run until February 2026. For those participants in the pilot scheme who are also recipients of a social welfare payment, the Department of Social...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Schemes (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a range of employment supports for disabled people including those with an intellectual disability. My Department's Intreo service is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports in the State. Disabled people can access mainstream employment schemes such as Community Employment and Tús as well as referral to tailored supports such as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Government recognises the enormous contribution that family carers make to Irish society and we are committed to supporting them. Carer's Allowance is made up of a personal rate for the carer and additional amounts for child dependents. At the moment, the standard personal rate for a carer under age 66 is €260 per week and for a carer aged 66 or over the rate is €298....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Carer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that, as a result, they require that level of care. An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 27 August 2025. CA was awarded from 28 August 2025....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Prior to 6 April 1995, civil and public servants did not have access to the full range of social insurance benefits as their terms of employment protected them against the main contingencies of illness and old age, and the risk of unemployment was not considered a factor due to the nature of their employment. In 1994, the Government decided that civil and public servants appointed on or...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Guardian Status (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Guardian's Payment is paid to a guardian solely for the benefit of a child, who is in their care and satisfies the definition of an "orphan" under social welfare legislation. There is a general principle of one person, one payment, across the Irish social welfare system. This principle is common to social security systems across the world. DSP legislation stipulates that Guardian's...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: In June 2020, the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future included actions to commence research to examine arrangements for gender recognition in respect of persons aged under 16 years. The Department of Social Protection and the then Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth jointly commissioned this research, to identify the mechanisms used in other...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Gender Recognition (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Section 9 of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) 2015 sets out the conditions which a person is required to meet in order to qualify for a gender recognition certificate. The application process was set up to cater for applicants born in the State, born abroad but ordinarily resident in the State and born and living abroad but with an entry in the Foreign Births Register. In June 2025 the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Blind Pension is payable to persons who are blind and certain other persons with low vision, aged between 18 and 66 years, who are habitually resident in the State. Blind Pension is a means tested payment and items which include cash income, the value of any property (excluding the person’s own home), employment, spouse’s employment, self-employment and income from other...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Deputy has now contacted stating that he wishes to withdraw the PQ as the matter has been resolved directly by the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Contracts (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: In line with Circular 05/2023 (Initiatives to assist SMEs in Public Procurement), contracting authorities are required to publish contract award notices for all procurements over €25,000 (exclusive of VAT), including any contract awarded under a Framework Agreement on completion of the award whether the procurement was advertised on eTenders or not. My Department issues in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Circulars (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Details relating to these agencies is outlined below: Citizens Information Board (CIB) The CIB confirms that it is in full compliance with Circular 05/2023, Initiatives to Assist SMEs in Public Procurement,...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: School Meals Programme (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. The programme is designed so that meals are provided by contracted food business operators. This...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Reports (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Details, as requested by the Deputy, are contained in the table below: Name of outsourced Study/Research/Report Name of outsourced company Total Cost (inc. VAT) Dates on which any such reports yet to be published were first provided to the Minister (only if not yet released) Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Data (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Jobseeker’s Allowance is a means-tested social welfare payment for people who are unemployed. There are arrangements in place to incentivise and encourage people in receipt of the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme to take up work or to engage in training and development programmes to prepare for work. A person can work up to three days per week and continue to receive a partial...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Employment Rights (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Jobseeker’s Allowance is a means-tested social welfare payment for people who are unemployed. Household income, savings, shares, investments, property other than the home are considered to determine whether a person satisfies the means test. Jobseeker's Allowance is not subject to income tax, USC or PRSI. If a person is not working and has no other income, the maximum rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Expenditure (14 Oct 2025)

Dara Calleary: Consultancy is defined by the Department of Finance as where a person or organisation provides intellectual or knowledge-based services (e.g. expert analysis and advice) through delivering reports, studies, assessments, recommendations, proposals, etc. that contribute to decision making or policy development. Total expenditure on Consultancy is provided in the Departments Appropriation...